


In Lucem

by KajikaLoisa



Category: SHINee, TWICE (Band), VICTON (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Biting, Bottom Park Jimin (BTS), Brothers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin are Best Friends, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Siblings, Smut, Society is a bitch, Twice Yoo Jengyeon, UNFAIR, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KajikaLoisa/pseuds/KajikaLoisa
Summary: “But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that darkness of night precedes dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here.”
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin, Park Jimin (BTS) & Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I’d like to apologize for coming back and seemingly disappearing again. I have decided not to continue my story, Desconido, and have deleted it from the platform. It has been hard since finishing Moonlight and I still have no clue on how to continue Angore. But do know that I’m trying to challenge myself in coming up with more stories exploring different genres and situations. So here I am, back with a brand new story and hoping to receive good reviews from you.

I didn't think I'd ever understood why anyone would choose to kill themselves. To me, every day was a struggle to stay alive and I worked damn hard to be able to live! For a moment I wondered if I would ever get to the point in my life where I would give up.

I picked up one of her blankets and folded it gently in my arms. I guess I was kind of annoyed that she was gone. I didn't miss her because she didn't deserve that, not after what she had done. I did feel crappy though. She was my mom after all. Anyone would have felt the same. A part of me reasoned that I should be happy she was gone. The past year she had been worse than ever. She rarely got out of bed and was always crying. It had been up to me to find food. I often went without because I couldn't find enough for both of us. She never once said thank you. Half the time I don't think she even noticed I was there.

The blanket still smelled like her. It was one of the things we had managed to keep from before. My eyes started to mist up but I rubbed them angrily until they cleared. I'd be damned if I'd shed any tears over her. As I said, she didn't deserve it.

I put the blanket down on my bed and headed for the door. It was still midday so I had a while before the sun went down and all hell broke loose. Nevertheless, I was careful to ease the door open slowly to make sure no one was waiting outside for me. No one was there. In fact, the streets were deserted. Not a great surprise. Not a single soul went out unless they had to. Although the gangs waited until night time to come out in earnest, an occasional few, always the humans of course, still took the day shift. They would cruise around the city in the hope of something happening - the stupid enough to let themselves be seen. 

One time, I saw a kid run into a pack of them. She couldn't have been more than sixteen. The stuff they had done to her out in the streets had scared the crap out of me. When they finally finished with her, all that was left was a bloody mess of twitching limbs. I thought I heard someone crying close by but they never showed themselves. I waited a while to see if anyone was going to help her but after a few hours I gave up. I still wonder if anyone went to her in the end. I very much doubted she was still alive.

As I stepped out of the small refuge of my home I was greeted with the eye-opening sight of Seoul, which stared back at me in all of its grim glory. Sewage and refugees littered the streets, pouring in and out of houses where the windows were either barred or shattered. Graffiti markings covered every wall, flat and abandoned car. They each represented the various gangs that ruled the city. The rural areas of the city had never been that pretty, to begin with. Grey concrete council block flats were spread out as far as the eye could see and the only bit of green insight came from the mold.

I fastened my coat to try and keep out some of the bitter colds as I trudged out into the rain. I hated fall with a passion so intense that I think it was a little unhealthy. The constant gray skies and bitingly cold wind pissed me off, but nearly so much as the crappy rain. Worse still was the oppressive lack of daylight. The gangs must have loved it but it meant singles like me had even less time to try and scavenge food.

I stayed on the streets I knew best, keeping in shadow whenever I could. I was always listening. The city was so quiet that a person could hear a pin drop. It was because there were so few of us singles left. Those that were still alive were breathing because they knew how to stay quiet. In my experience, if you're loud you'll probably be dead fairly soon.

There was a store a little further ahead that held all kinds of goodies. The guy that ran the place didn't exactly seem the charitable sort though. If you wanted to eat well you needed to have something worth trading. Drugs were usually the most valuable commodity, then cross's, which I knew for a fact didn't do a damn thing to a gang member besides making them laugh, then guns, knives, sexual favors, other kinds of food- the list was endless.

I walked straight past the place. I didn't have anything worth trading. Of course, that wasn't entirely true, maybe there was one thing, but the guy who ran the place, a big hairy son of a bitch with a depraved attitude, well I wasn't that hungry yet and I hoped dearly that I never would be.

I walked for a little while longer until I found a flat that looked thoroughly fucked over. Nightshade, excuse me whilst I roll my eyes, gang tags were all over the place. They looked old and the place had clearly been deserted for a while. I forced my way through the broken window and moved quickly over the dust-covered floor until I found the kitchen. I scrounged around in the cupboards for a while and felt a stab of triumph when I saw the canned fruit wedged into a far corner. I grabbed them and shoved them in my bag, careful to make sure no one was watching me. You can never be too paranoid.

The cans were one hell of a find and would keep me fed for a while, especially now I only had to look after myself. It amazed me that other singles didn't enter the abandoned tagged houses. It was pretty much the only way I stayed alive.

I got out of the flat as fast as I could. I was just making my way home when it hit me how quickly it was getting dark. Weird, because my watch said it was only three p.m. I looked up at the sky and felt my heart jump up in my throat. The sun was being smothered by the moon. It was a Solar Eclipse! Jesus fucking Mary and Joseph!

I started running, there wasn't much else I could do and for the first time in twelve years I headed into the daylight. It streamed over me, lighting me up for the world to see. Though my mind screamed at me to get back into the shadows my instincts told me to stay where I was. I heard laughter, dark and sinister. It seemed deafening in the constant quiet. I stumbled and saw a white marble hand reach out and beckon me towards the shadows. I backed away on my backside, too stupid with fear to form any coherent thoughts other than how much it was going to hurt when they killed me.

The light was almost all gone now. I couldn't make anything out. The shadow passed over me and then I was blind.

My entire body was exposed as I sat in the middle of the alley. I began to shake as my chest let out a stream of stifled breaths. At least I didn't have to think about mom anymore, or how she'd survive if I never came home.

I heard the laughter again, closer this time. Despite not being able to see anything I drew my legs up against my chest and buried my face into my arms as they rested on my knees. I was still horribly exposed but at least now I had something to hug.

Soft footsteps padded up beside me. I tried to beg for my life but I couldn't speak through my terror. I was having trouble breathing. I hoped I'd pass out. Gentle fingers traced the outline of my bowed head, running down through my hair until they clamped firmly onto the back of my neck. I realized I was taking then, babbling prayers that had been forced fed to me as a child.

"Shhh," it cooed in a voice that dripped with honey. "I don't like those words. Now tell me, love, what's your name?" The desire to scream was almost unbearable. I pressed my hands over my ears to try and block him out. The pressure on my neck increased painfully and I got the hint and dropped my hands. "Your name?" He repeated.

"Jimin," I whimpered.

"Didn't you know there was an eclipse today Jimin?"

A stupid question, if I had known - pain laced through my neck. "No" I gasped.

"Why have you come out of your hole, Jimin?"

I wondered if he intended to play with me for much longer. I knew I was beginning to break apart. "I-I was looking for food." I realized I was crying then. I tried to pull out of the painful hold on my neck. A stupid mistake. I was quite literally dragged up by the scruff on my neck. My eyes opened wide in shock and as they adjusted I began to make out the features of the thing in front of me. He was a little taller than my 5"10 and probably outweighed me by more than fifty pounds. I couldn't make out much color but his wide eyes and shoulder-length hair looked light. His mouth was slightly open as he smiled at me. I was staring almost directly at his engorged fangs."

"Jesus," I gasped. His smile grew dangerous and I remembered that he didn't like those words. I began to shake so badly that I was amazed my legs were still holding me upright. He used his free hand to trace the outline of my jaw. His fingers moved over the arteries in my throat and down to my collar bone. When his hand slipped beneath my shirt collar I felt a sudden burst of distaste that mingled strangely well with the horror I was experiencing.

My world shifted upside down and I realized I was being carried on his shoulders. I thought about struggling but quickly dismissed the idea as I was carried swiftly into a smaller alley. I had been pretty meek so far; maybe that was what was keeping me alive.

I tried to track our progress but when he turned into a ground flat and headed down a long tunnel through the cellar door I became hopelessly lost. Loud pounding music reached my ears. I heard laughter not long after that. He was taking me into the heart of one of the damned gangs!

He stepped out of the tunnel and I suddenly found myself in a huge hall filled with people. There were so many of them that I felt sick and smothered.

Before I had time to look away my eyes locked with a young woman. With her olive-colored skin and pale brown eyes she was obviously human. I wanted to ask her for help but the image of that kid being ripped apart jumped into my mind. I pressed my face against the guys back.

"What have we here, Jungkook?" I heard a woman talking close to my shoulder ask. I didn't think it was the girl I had previously been looking at. "Did you pick him up in the eclipse?"

"He is splendid, is he not?"

"Exceedingly so. How old is he?"

"Early to mid-twenties, I think."

Long tapered fingers ran under my shirt and over my back. I tensed and they both laughed.

"Have you tasted him yet?"

I think I managed to stifle my whimper.

"There wasn't time. Sadly the eclipse did not linger."

My head was wrenched up so quickly that I was amazed my neck didn't snap. My back arched painfully as I tried to accommodate the iron grip on my hair. The woman holding onto me crouched down until our eyes were level and studied me with an intensity that scared the shit out of me.

"Just lovely." She said at last. She let go of me and I rammed myself into the guy’s back. He didn't even flinch as my head plowed into his spine. I wondered if I'd just given myself a concussion.

"Were many others brought in?"

"Not a single one so far. Some were caught of course but they were unsuitable so they have been subdivided for food."

Abruptly my world turned right side up. I stumbled and might have fallen if the Jungkook hadn't reached out and caught my arm to steady me. I couldn't really say I was thankful. For the first time during this whole horrible encounter, I had nothing to hide behind. I thought I had felt exposed over his shoulder. Standing between them as their demonic eyes devoured every inch of me I suddenly wished I was upside down again.

"A pity he isn't suitable for the change." The woman said in a tone that seemed full of regret.

"Why do you say that?" Jungkook snapped, his crystallized blue eyes flashing with what seemed like very real fury. "He's the right age and he's healthy enough." The grip on my arm increased and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from crying out. "He would survive the change."

"Likely he would, but then what? Should we suffer another of our kind that cannot bear what they have become? He has not the will or the nature to become one of us."

"You have seen him for a mere moment. You do not know what he is capable of ."

"You are not looking past his pretty visage my love. His soul will rebel if you try to take him."

Though I had listened to every word my concentration was centered on the burning agony in my arm. With every angry word, Jungkook's grip had tightened until I was sure he was going to snap my bones in two.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I half gasped, half screamed. My knees buckled and I was sure I was going to pass out. The pain in my arm lessened considerably though. Obviously the bastard had finally let go!

I head a dry chuckle above me. "Does he say that sort of thing often."

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Have you told him not to?"

"Of course."

Another chuckle but then her voice turned serious. "What are you going to do with him then?"

"I could give him into one of the mortal groups."

"They would rip him apart." The image of that kid popped into my head again and I felt my body shudder.

He grabbed my arm, the uninjured one, and hoisted me to my feet like I weighed nothing at all. "I'll think of something for him to do." He said as he pulled me past her. He waved away anyone who came towards us and increased his pace until I was practically running to keep up with him. We left the hall and traveled further down into the earth. It was darker in the lower passages and I was having trouble seeing where I was going. The walls were painted crimson and blood red, with gothic furniture covered every inch of where we were standing. It reminded me of the set of a Jack the Ripper film I watched when I was a kid. He stopped outside an iron-clad door and pulled out a key. When he opened the door I tensed, expecting to see a Victorian-style torture house inside. As he pulled me into the room I think my jaw quite literally hit the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that darkness of night precedes dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here.”

The room was beautiful. Hardwood pine floors, a cream leather corner couch with huge plasma television and a sound system to kill for. The guy even had a Wii for Christ's sake! Cream walls covered in explicit paintings of lovers, though I was shocked to see that they weren't all depicting men and women couples. A kitchen stood in the far right corner. The only thing I could see that hinted at Jungkook's true nature was the spotlessly clean stainless steel kitchen he had. I could tell from a glance that he had never used it before.

He pushed me down onto the couch and walked past him into the other room. I caught a glimpse of a huge bed covered in red and white silk before the door slammed shut behind him.

He was gone for a long time. So long in fact that despite the danger I was in I was beginning to doze off. It had been one hell of a day and that, coupled with the lack of sleep I'd been having since Mum died had left me exhausted. I was just entering full sleep mode when I felt someone standing over me. My eyes popped open and I found myself staring directly into Jungkook’s face, who was crouched less than a foot away from me.

"Jesu-" His hand slapped painfully over my mouth, effectively cutting off my little curse.

"Enough of that!" He ordered. "This is your last warning. Say that word again or anything like it and I'll hurt you. Understand?"

I nodded slightly but inside I was screaming hysterically. Funny that I hadn't realized how cold his hands were earlier. He let go of me and lent back a little. He was looking at me thoughtfully like he didn't quite know what he should do with me. Despite myself, I couldn't stop staring at his mouth. I couldn't see the fangs whilst he had his mouth closed but I knew they were there. I wondered how many people he had killed with them. I wondered if he intended to kill me with them."Jimin," He said. He smiled and I got to see those elusive fangs of his. I recoiled a little but if he noticed it didn't show. "I must say you're reacting incredibly calm, all things considered."

Calm, calm! I was about to pass out! He looked at me expectantly, as though he wanted me to say something. Frankly, I had begun to wonder if I still possessed the ability to speak. I couldn't trust myself to open my mouth and not scream so I just looked at him.

He cocked his head to one side and let his hand rest on my knee. The fact that this guy had pretty much kidnapped me, and could kill me with very little effort did not take away from the fact that he was feeling up my leg! It was bad enough when he had dipped his hand inside my shirt earlier. Why did his kind have to be so damned hands-on?

His smile widened and I wondered if I hadn't completely succeeded in hiding my disgust. It worried me that my being repulsed was funny to him. His hand moved up my thigh and before I could think it through I pushed it away. I think he probably allowed me to do it.

"You don't like it when I touch you, do you Jimin?" faster than I could blink he had his hand around my throat and was pushing me down onto my back. I could breathe okay if I didn't fight him but I really didn't want him lying on top of me so I started to thrash around. All it earned me was a bruised throat and the added knowledge that I was throttling myself. I stopped struggling and he let up a little. Enough for me to be able to breathe anyway.

It was a surreal moment. Me lying flat on my back whilst one of their kind leaned over me. He smiled suddenly, a small twist of the lips that made me want to curl into myself. His hands slid over my stomach and the next thing I felt was his fingers expertly undoing my jeans.

"Fuck you!" I snarled. The bastard could kill me but I'd be damned if I was just going to lay back and let him rape me. To my surprise, his hands fell away from my jeans and he sat up. I could breathe normally now he wasn't on top of me. I managed to get my legs under me and scrambled backward. Gods wonder that he actually let me. I fell off the bed and hit my head pretty hard. I shook it off as I continued to back up. I stopped when my back hit the wall. What the bloody hell else was I supposed to do, breakthrough it?

His eyes were the worst I decided. In fact, I think I preferred looking at his teeth compared to staring at his eyes. They looked like they were made out of ice.

"So," He said, sizing me up even as he spoke with a painfully nonchalant tone. "What's with all the," he smiled and clasped his hands together like he was praying. "Words?"

"I'm catholic!”

He looked surprised. "That is a fact. Not many of your kind around anymore. Not after that little war, you guys cooked up a while ago. Pretty stupid of you, coming after us like that."

"A bit before my time." He looked relaxed but I was willing to bet he'd spring into action if I gave him a reason. Running would be really stupid then. "I don't recognize your accent."

He smiled and slapped his thigh in an exaggerated fashion. "I'm from Busan. I believe you like to call my kind the Yankees."

I like to call your kind demonic bastards. "Where about in Busan?"

"All over, Centum City mostly. I like it here much better though."

"Yeah, why's that?"

He got off the bed. I tensed, expecting to be attacked. Instead, he walked past me into the next room. I stayed where I was, too freaked to move. He came back in a moment later holding two glasses of clear liquid. When he passed one to me I cringed, which caused him to growl low in his throat so I took the glass with shaking hands but didn't drink out of it. God knows what he might have put in there. Thankfully he moved away from me and went back onto the bed. "It's harder for my kind in the sunny area." He said, and it took me a moment to realize he was answering my earlier question. "There are hunters, weapons like you wouldn't believe and the sun is all over the place especially in summer. My kind doesn't last long there."

It was difficult to muster up much sympathy for the bastards. "Kind of what it's like for the singles here," I said coldly. According to history books, our country and theirs had been pretty close once. Hell, apparently we were their founders. Pretty shitty of them to screw over their mommy country like that. I wondered why we had been abandoned when they so obviously had the means to help us. Maybe we're just too worthless now. "What's it like everywhere else?" I asked. I'd always been curious. It wasn't like there were recent newspapers or books being published to let us singles know what was going on in the world and there was a fair chance I'd never get the opportunity to ask again.

He used his long nails to pick at his fangs, maybe to remind me who I was talking to. Like I could forget! "Africa's mostly left alone, though the more populated cities have some of our kind around. I've been there though and it's not too much fun. Way too warm. As I said, America's pretty much off-limits. Canada's a little easier, but who the hell wants to chomp down on the Canadian's? Way too damn congenial for me. Not to mention that the states don't like the idea of my kind at their borders so they keep a close eye on their neighbors. Likewise for Mexico, though truth be told there's not much going on down there. It's too warm too."

"I guess you don't bother with the south part of the globe much then?" I asked.

"Good guess, though I do like to visit Australia now and again, in winter of course. Hell of a long trip though. New Zealand's a nice getaway but the countries are not well populated so staying their long term isn't really an option. I went to South America once, the hell of a continent; the women in Brazil were just lovely. It's pretty poverty-stricken though and people notice if you chomp down on the elite. Russia's interesting but too poor, the same for most of Eastern Europe. Asia can be fun but I avoid the Middle East like the plague. They and the good old states stopped arguing with each other when we came along. They mutually hate our guts and they're packing the same sort of toys as the motherland."

"So most of your kind are here?" I asked in awe. I couldn't believe it! I'd always thought the whole world was screwed but it turned out that the good old salty South Korea had drawn the preverbal short straw. As an afterthought, I added. "It's a wonder no one tried to blow us up yet."

A blur of movement and then my feet were dangling in the air as a hand gripped my shirtfront. I wasn't breathing too well but I could suck in enough oxygen so I wouldn't pass out. Lucky me! "You're not as dumb as you look, Jimin my boy." He said as he slapped my cheek twice, hard enough that he had probably left a mark. He let go of me and I fell into a heap on the floor, looking up at him as he towered over me, hating him, fearing him. "We made a deal with them some years ago. Make our base here and leave the rest of the world in peace. We do for the most part, hell, why wouldn't we? We've got it good here and the weather suits my kind. Not too cold or too hot. Winter means short days and long nights. Were cut off though, and that's what's important to the united governments. You see France and Germany, well they would have been equally suitable but their not islands are they? If we had them we pretty much got access to most of the world. They won't bomb us though, because they know that an act of war like that would mean the end of their kind. All it would take was a hundred of my kind to go on a rampage, turning the singles who in turn went on little rampages of their own, and then that would be the end of the human race. The united nations aren't dumb; they know we got more than a few hundred of our kind in the big wide world. They won't bomb us."

He knelt down and wiped my hair back from my face. I glared at him and he let his hand drop. "You not a fan of same-sex, Jimin?"

I think my mouth hung open a little. "No," I said eventually, not able to communicate how totally freaked out I was. "Does that matter to you?"

He tucked his hands behind his back and stood up. I think he liked looking down at me "Honestly, I prefer a partner that's into it, but gay or not anything I get from you probably won't be voluntary, so no, it doesn't matter."

I didn't know why hearing him say it upset me so much. It wasn't like I didn't expect him to rape me, probably kill me after he was done. I drew my legs up and pressed my face against my knees.

What a shitty life!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that darkness of night precedes dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here.”

I couldn't stay awake. No matter how strong my resolve was I couldn't fight the basic human need to refresh my body. As I looked back across the narrow confines of the bedroom I saw a pair of ice-blue eyes glitter in the encompassing darkness, watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake. I jolted upright again, determined not to give in to the needs of my own body, knowing that if I did I might not be given the opportunity to wake back up.

I was shivering as I pushed my self further against the far wall of the room. Jungkook kept his chambers uncomfortably cold, too cold for me to feel any sort of comfort. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a flash of his teeth and realized that he was smiling at me. "There are ways for you to keep your self warm Jimin." He said mockingly, laughing at me as he pulled back the covers of his bed.

I didn't say anything. A part of me reasoned that I had to keep him as calm as possible. I doubted I would be able to stem my own hysteria if I opened my mouth to speak so I clamped it firmly shut and looked away. He clicked his tongue impatiently and I heard him stand up. My body tensed even as I realized that if he did decide to kill me there was little I could do to try and stop him. I squeezed my eyes firmly closed and waited. I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks but I didn't make a sound as I felt his presence loom over me. A hand landed on my head and I flinched. He chuckled quietly and patted my head as if I was a dog. "I'm going out now Jimin, do try to get some sleep. The bed is there waiting for you if you decide it's too cold here on the floor."

I didn't move until I heard the door close and then I cautiously raised my head, half expecting him to jump out at me. He wasn't there though and the room felt warmer because of it. I shifted slightly and carried on with my vigil but exhaustion finally had its way with me and I fell into a restless slumber.

Before all hell broke loose and the country turned into a cesspit of murder and madmen, my mom used to tell me these bedtime stories. They should have been gentle enough not to terrify me but the truth was I that I was a wimp as a kid. My mom said I was sensitive; my dad assured me I'd grow out of it. I hadn't though, even now when I was all alone in the dark those childhood stories still came back to haunt me.

Just before everything first went arse upwards, my dad had the fortitude to see what was going to happen. He secured the house as best as he could and stockpiled food and water. Because of that, my mom, dad, sister, and I were able to stay hidden during the worse of the rioting. The gangs formed swiftly afterward, making it hard for us to leave our homes during the day. My mom was constantly terrified and wouldn't leave the house so it was up to the three of us to gather food and water. I was about twelve years old when my dad told me and my sister to wait for him in an alley as he went into an abandoned house to scavenge some food. We must have stayed there for three hours before my sister, elder by two years, told me we had to go because the sun was about to set. I didn't want to leave dad, I told her so. I remember the blank look that passed over her face as she grabbed my arm and dragged me back to our home. When we got inside our mom was waiting for us. My sister took one look at her and said in a voice void of emotion that dad was dead. Her name was Jeongyeon. A couple of years later she disappeared. I always wondered if she had been killed or just abandoned us. Mom pretty much lost it after that. That was when I was left to look after everything, myself, and her included. I always thought I was pretty good at what I did. I'd managed to avoid trouble for so long that I was beginning to actually think I might be able to survive, maybe live to the ripe old age of thirty.

I quelled a laugh, knowing it would probably only come out as a strangled sob. So much for surviving. Jungkook lay across from me now, sleeping peacefully, his face smoothed into an expression of comfort and contentment. They were supposed to be vulnerable during the day. I had been told that they slept so soundly that one could easily take their heads without them waking. Sitting there, watching him as he occasionally twitched or shifted I realized that the person that had made that assumption had read too many Anne Rice novels. I was willing to bet that Jungkook was an extremely light sleeper.

I slowly became aware of the needs of my own body. I was hungry and very thirsty. I wondered if Jungkook even remembered what it felt like to have a mortal hunger. I still had the canned fruit in my bag. I lifted it out slowly and felt a torrid of relief that the lid didn't require a can opener. Trying not to make any noise I opened it up and drank the juice inside. I ate the whole contents of the can but I was still hungry afterward. Despite the hollow feeling in my stomach, I didn't touch any of the other cans. Maybe it was being a little optimistic of me but I wanted to try and make them last.

Now that discomfort had been rectified I became aware of the cramping in my legs and the ache in my back. I had been practically curled up in a ball for hours. I stood up slowly and tried to work some of the feelings back into my frame. Careful not to make any noise I began to stretch my joints, easing out the kinks and twinges. My eyes passed cautiously over Jungkook. My heart jumps up in my throat and I fell back several steps. He was staring at me, his ice eyes glaring daggers at me as he emitted a low growl deep in his throat. My legs collapsed beneath me and I fell painfully to my knees. "I'm sorry," I gasped, the words escaping my treacherous mouth as I began to try and back away from him.

I saw him sit up, visible as a faint outline in the darkroom, his eyes still locked on mine. "What exactly is it you're apologizing for?" he asked.

I thought he might have been smiling again, but if so I couldn't make out his teeth. Small miracles!

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"Then you shouldn't have been so damn loud." The words were harsh but spoken with a light tone. He stretched his arms, almost mirroring my earlier movements and stood up. He walked within ten feet of me and I found my heart pounding painfully in my chest. I heard a distinct click noise and then the lights shone back to life, momentarily blinding me after being in the dark for so long.

He looked down at me and twisted his nose sourly. "You need a shower Jimin." He bent down and caught my arm, dragging me to my feet. I tried to dig in my heels but it didn't deter him in the slightest. He dragged me the short distance to the bathroom and pushed me inside. I tripped but his strong hand caught me again before I fell. He spun me around and pressed my back flat against the shower cubicle. I emitted a quiet whimper as his milky white hands tore the fabric of my shirt, pulling it off and letting it drop into a heap on the floor. He stood back and stared at me, his eyes glowing as they caught the light from the next room, reminding me suddenly of the cats that used to wander around when I was kid, back before they were considered a common food source.

I took a single step forward, trying to push past him, to go in my own terror to properly think about what I was doing. It was a mistake, a stupid, thoughtless, and utterly futile mistake. He pushed me back so hard that my head knocked painfully against the glass cubicle. His hand wormed its way through my hair, gripping it tightly as he wrenched my head back. "Never, ever fight me. Do you hear me? You fight me and I'll rip your fragile little neck in two." He let go of my hair and pushed me back again. His hands latched onto my hips as he traced the material of my trousers with his thumbs. "You need to stay calm, you stay calm and I won't hurt you."

Bullshit! I thought dazedly as he stepped back and looked expectedly at me. I looked away, pressing my arms over my chest as I tried to hide the sight of my exposed flesh. "The pants, Jimin." He said to me, pointedly looking down. I followed his gaze slowly before looking back up at him. I could feel the tears beginning to well in my eyes, blurring my vision. "Jimin!" he snapped. "The pants, now!"

My hands were shaking so violently that I couldn't make them close properly. I began to fumble with the buttons, desperately trying to open them, terrified because I wasn't moving fast enough. I looked up once, noted the amused expression on his face, and felt the last ounce of my strength slip away. My knees buckled and I allowed my self to cry. I was living in a nightmare. I knew he was going to kill me, as surely as I had known my mom would kill her self, as surely as I had known that stupid kid that got herself caught all those years ago would never get up again. I couldn't stand it anymore, the wait was excruciating.

I heard a soft clucking noise above me before strong hands grasped my upper arms and hoisted me to my feet. He smoothed back my hair and wiped the tears off my cheeks, whispering soothing noises as he moved. He undid the buttons on the trousers and slid them slowly down my thighs, moving my legs slowly out of the trouser legs, positioning my limbs where he wanted them. I looked away during the whole thing, trying to picture what life had been like before everything had gone to hell. I was too young though and almost all of my memories consisted of the basic need to survive.

It was a shock when the warm water hit my body. I'd never had a warm shower before, hell the truth was I hardly ever got the chance to bathe properly. The creature's elegantly tapered hands moved over my hair and body, lathering me up with sweet-smelling soaps. I looked down at the soiled water that disappeared down the bath drain, amazed by how long it took before the water running off my body was finally clean and unsoiled. The powerful fingers latched into my hair, smoothing over my head and tracing a line down to the middle of my back where my hair lay in wet tangles. "When you're finished I want you to change into the clothes I've left out for you. Brush your hair and wait for me in the sitting room."

The commanding manner in his voice knocked away some of the terror that had numbed me. I stared haltingly at his retreating back, watching him through a thick blanket of hot steam as the water pummelled my chest and shoulders. I felt the tears threatening to come again and pushed them angrily back. I hated that the creature could make me cry, that he could rip open every ounce of vulnerability and fear inside of me and leave it open and bare.

I must have stayed in the shower for hours when the hot water finally cooled and turned icy cold. For a long time, I still didn't move but then the discomfort became too much to bear and I had to turn it off. I stayed still, dripping and shivering on the cool marble floor. I didn't want to leave the shower room because I wasn't sure what was waiting for me.

"Jimin," his voice rang out, startling me from my reverie. I took a deep breath but didn't answer. "Jimin!" He yelled, "Damn it, hurry the hell up!"

I stepped outside and saw the clothes that had been laid out for me. A simple grey jumper, a pair of faded jeans, old trainers, and some non-descript black boxers. I put them on quickly, savoring the warmth they offered. There was a full mirror across the other side of the room. I stepped towards it and as I examined myself. I wondered what it was about me that excited him. I was the poster child for malnutrition, my lank black hair lay in tattered rat tail tendrils to the middle of my back, my cheeks were hollow, my skin sallow and paper-thin.

He walked in then, his eyes pinning me to the spot as he took up the brush and stepped behind me. I think he wanted to be gentle but my hair had not been well maintained. For my own part, I managed to contain my pained groans as he hacked away at my throbbing head. Eventually, I heard him swear and stalk off. He came back shortly with a wicked pair of scissors clutched in his long tapered hands.

I was halfway across the room before he caught hold of me. He was laughing as I strained against his hold, lifting me up as easily as he would a child before settling me down on my feet in front of the mirror. "Come on," he said. "If I wanted to hurt you do you think I'd need these to do it? They're for your hair!"

I stopped struggling but I couldn't control the unbearable trembling. His hands traveled over the back of my head and down to the nape of my neck. He collected my hair and began cutting away at it. I watched it drop to the floor around my feet, praying to God that he would be finished soon. I heard the scissors drop but he didn't let me go. One hand latched onto the back of my neck whilst the other took up the brush again. It was easier this time but it still took a while before he was finished. He turned me around abruptly and locked hold of my waist. His light eyes caught mine before traveling slowly up and down the length of my body. The expression on his face made me want to curl up into a tight ball. Before I could protest he pulled me tightly against him and covered my mouth with his, bending me backward as he forced his pelvic into mine. I instinctively tried to push him away but the loud animal-like growl he emitted froze the blood in my veins. I caught hold of his shoulders for purchase but I was too afraid to try and push him away again.

One hand slid down my hip and caught my ass. He squeezed hard and I let out a pained gasp. The moment my mouth opened he forced his tongue down my throat, licking and slathering the inside of my mouth. I cried out but the noise was muffled to almost nothing. I didn't want it. I didn't want his hands on me; I didn't want his tongue in my mouth, his lips on mine. I punched his chest with all the strength I could muster, ignoring the growl this time as I let loose a flurry of panicked blows. He pushed me away so abruptly and with such violence that I didn't register that I had been released until I was lying flat on my back in the middle of his bedroom.

He made a soft tutting noise as he walked towards me, smiling as he undid the top button of his jeans. I watched in muted horror as he stepped over me and reached into his trousers.

"Wait!" I hissed, backing away from him. "What are you doing?" My hip and back hurt as I shuffled backward. The way he just threw me away from him, with such power, it was terrifying. That he could hurt me so much without really meaning to-

He pulled out his dick, semi-hard in his hand as he followed after me. I had never seen another man before and I was shocked by how large he was. I stared up at him and then back down at it, a denial on my lips. Suddenly my back hit against a wall and back was no longer an option. "Don't," I whimpered, unable to look away despite how much I really wanted to.

"What do you think I'm going to do Jimin?" he asked me, the laughter clear in his voice as he stepped over me.

I was saved from answering as the door to the room was knocked loudly. He grinned at me and stepped away, his dick still in his hands.

"Katherine," he said happily, stepping aside and ushering a young woman into the room. Judging by her dark skin and warm eyes she was one of the gang members. I had to admit she was stunning in a hard sort of way. Her eyes passed dismissively over me before she stepped inside and made her way towards the bed.

Jungkook looked back at me and growled deep in his throat. "Get out!"

"I beg your pardon?" I said stupidly.

"I-said-get-out." He repeated slowly.

I propped my self up the wall and edged towards the door. I expected him to pounce but he just watched me, the smile clear on his face. The door opened and I stepped outside into the gothic corridor. "Jimin," he called out quietly. "Be back here before sunrise."

I didn't have a chance to answer as the door slammed in my face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that darkness of night precedes dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here.”

For over half my life I had done everything I could to avoid the gangs. I'd grown up dreading the sounds of their loud, cruel voices, the sight of their sleek, well-fed faces. I'd learned to hide in places too disgusting to tempt them to follow, to stay away from anywhere clean and open. It hadn't been an easy life by any means but at least I was free.

Now, surrounded by them with every instinct I possessed urging me to run, I was beginning to feel a new kind of hysteria. My common sense forbade me to make any sudden movements because I knew that they were watching me, some casually, some with much more scrutiny. I tried not to cringe at the sudden noises, the laughter, the bellowing. Singles learned early on that they needed to be quiet, that they should never draw attention to themselves. The gangs seemed to thrive on it though. They wanted to be seen and heard. I wondered if it made them feel alive.

I turned around, preparing to go back into the relative safety of the dark, morbid corridors. Perhaps I could find some abandoned corner to hide in until sunset. And then what? Go back to Jungkook? I ran my hand through my newly trimmed hair, dirt, and tangle-free for the first time in years.

I don't know what it was that made me lookup. I felt a sudden lurch in my stomach when I realized that three people had formed a loose semi-circle at my back. They were of varying ages. A man of some thirty years smiled at me, his white teeth even and bright. His body was lean but muscled and he looked a picture of healthiness. He had light brown hair with a spattering of red and dark brown eyes. There was a young boy, looking like little years younger than me, his blue hair and thick makeup disguising his pretty face and a man barely older than me. We were probably a similar height though he would have outweighed me considerably. His face was scarred - a dangerous scar that runs through his eyes. Whatever had happened to make him a gang member must have been intense.

The older man grinned at me, his smile dazzling as he stepped towards me. The other two kept staring, issuing a challenge I couldn't understand. Well the hell to them, I thought briskly and only a little hysterically as I made to walk around them. The older guy chuckled and rapidly closed the distance between us. I fell back a few steps and he stopped within grabbing distance. "What's your name?" He asked me, the soft lilt of his accent reminding me suddenly of my mom. I stared at him, wanting more than anything for him to move aside and let me pass. He wasn't budging though. "You're name?" He asked again, a fountain of patients.

"Jimin," I said, and I was glad my voice didn't shake. "Excuse me," I tried to walk around him again but he just stepped back into my path. "What do you want?" I asked him tiredly.

"Only to get to know you a little better, little boy. Your news is what you are. Picked up in the eclipse weren't you?" Picked up was a little more accurate than I wanted to admit to but I nodded my head reluctantly. "By the yank no less?" The older man said with a grin and then a wink at my surprised expression. "I was shocked when you popped up tonight. We expected to hear you'd been turned into a feeder, didn't we?" The other two nodded their heads obediently. The scarred man smiled at me. "Jungkook's not one to play with his food. You to be turned?"

"No," I said, maybe a little too vehemently because suddenly the grin slipped off his face and he stopped looking mildly threatening and became more than a little menacing. I stepped back again and he stepped with me, keeping the same distance between us. "One of the others said I wasn't suitable," I said, desperate to fill the silence that used to seem so natural to me.

"I heard that," the other man said, slowly relaxing his stance and expression. "And by the way, you're acting you'll not be getting an invite into any gangs either." His grin came back full force but it held a visage of cruelty now. "You're a single through to the bone aren't you?" he asked as he stepped forward again, and again I gave ground to him.

"He's another sheep,” the other boy said, with an accent thicker than my own. I tried to place it as I knew I'd heard it before but the memory escaped me. "A stupid sheep filled with stupid thoughts."

I didn't even look at him but kept my eyes fixed on the older one. "Yes, a sheep he is, a sheep born and bred, but I'm willing to bet he's not a bad sort, are you lad?"

I didn't like to wonder what their idea of bad could be. I shook my head because that was what they wanted me to do and tried to hide my growing panic.

"Are you hungry Jimin?" He asked me suddenly, all smiles and honey as he stepped forward. When I stepped back again he laughed at me. "I'm fond of a dancing lad but this is getting a little tedious don't you think? Now, are you hungry?"

I was always hungry. Being hungry was so natural to me now that the pangs had to become quite severe before I really took notice. And because I didn't want to go anywhere with them, and because I still had the canned fruit in my bag I shook my head no. I saw the other man’s eyebrows shoot up. He looked me up and down and raised his eyebrows skeptically. I didn't care. The idea of being fattened up brought back a great deal of children's stories I'd read as a kid. Considering what happened to the fat kids in the stories I decided I'd rather stay skinny.

He stepped forward and I went back. It wasn't until I saw his eyes twinkle that it occurred to me to look where I was going and by then it was too late. My back smacked up against a wall and a moment later he was standing very close to me. I instinctively shrank back and a part of me realized that the older man reveled in my fear. He'll be turned, I decided as I looked into his not quite human eyes. He grinned again as he raised his arms lazily and rested them on the wall on either side of my shoulders. I debated trying to push past him but it was a fleeting idea that I quickly pushed aside until the image of that kid popped back into my head. With amazing clarity, I remembered every scream she'd let loose. I tried to shoulder past him but he just laughed at me pressed me back with his bulk.

"My, my, you don't like being cornered do you?" He asked me jovially as if it was all some joke.

I wondered if there was anything alive, man or beast, that could possibly like being cornered. I very much doubted it. I found it agonizing. The few times I'd run into other singles we had kept a wary distance between us. Since my dad died I hadn't really had to look directly up at anyone. I wasn't used to feeling so overpowered by another person. Mindless fear of the world was one thing but a direct confrontation was totally beyond me.

"So, how about a bite? Hmmm? I don't think Jungkook will object if we put a little meat on your bones?"

I wanted to say no, I opened my mouth to say exactly that but before I could mutter the first syllable he grabbed my arm and dragged me after him. The other two fell into step behind us, staying close enough that the boy actually stepped on my heel. I looked back at him and wondered if he had done it on purpose. His face was expressionless but I could tell the petty little act had amused him.

The hallway they took me into was different from the one leading into Jungkook's room. Despite all the gothic furniture and garish red walls, I knew enough to realize that it had been done richly and well. The hall I was in now looked a little better than a large hole cut ruggedly into stone and earth. Water dripped off the rocks above, splashing on top off my head and running down the back on my neck. The air smelled stale and confined and the stench of unwashed bodies was everywhere.

We paused outside a small wooden door. The scared man opened it and with a not so gentle shove, he pushed me inside. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was clean and spacious enough for me to turn around in and put some distance between us. It was modestly furnished with a couch and a spattering of chairs. The trio was ignoring me for the moment but they soon exchanged nasty looks before spreading out across the room. The boy came toward me. He was probably the only one I wasn't afraid of because he looks younger than me but I still backed away from him for proprieties sake because I suspected it wouldn't take much to make him very angry. He reached into a cupboard and pulled out a bottle and four small glasses. Meanwhile, the older had made himself comfortable on the couch whilst the scarred one collected an arm full of containers and dropped them onto the floor.

"Come here Jimin," The older said suddenly, making me jump. When I didn't move he frowned at me. "You going to eat your supper from all the way over there? No, I thought not. Come here then."

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

His face changed again. He was angry now. "Fuck me. I thought we'd already had this conversation! I don't give a shit if you say you're hungry or not! Get over here now!"

So I did. As much as I didn't want to I went over to him and I let him pull me down onto the couch beside him. He opened up some bags and thrust them onto my lap. I ate obediently but whatever it was tasted like ashes in my mouth. I chewed slowly, aware of the older's predatory gaze as I shifted uncomfortably beside him. I debated with myself whether it was worth just making a run for it but I couldn't build up the courage so I just sat there.

Eventually, he plucked the half-empty bag out of my grasp and set it down on the table in front of us. I noticed his eyes flicker over my head and wondered which one of them was behind me now. I started to hear that kid scream again.

"Have you ever been out of Korea, Jimin?" He asked me casually as he leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head. He pulled a pained expression. "Ah, poor boy. You haven't, have you? Well, have you at least been out of Seoul?"

"When I was younger," I answered hesitantly. "Before-"I let the word hang. Everyone knew what before meant.

"You've very little knowledge of the world then?"

I had very little knowledge of anything and was damn well aware of it. I shrugged my shoulder slightly and looked away

"Do you know what, I like you." I startled badly when he clapped my shoulder. "Sheep or not I can't help but like you. What says you? Should we let Jimin here join our little gang?"

The scarred one snorted directly behind me. I resisted the urge to look back and tried to ignore the terrible tingling feeling in my exposed neck. "Let him join as what?" The boy asked, coming around to stand in front of me. "What use would he be to us?"

"Ignore him." He said, squeezing my knee as he shot him a sour look. "I'm sure you're good for a lot of things, aren't you Jimin?"

"Not really," I answered because it was the truth and I was beginning to feel so nervous that it seemed prudent not to lie.

He frowned at me for a moment before letting out a mirthless bark of laughter. "At least your honest, if not a little harsh on yourself. But come now Jimin, what could you do? What could you offer the rest of us?"

"I'm sorry," I said because I knew something bad was going to happen and even though a part of me reasoned that something as mundane as apologizing wasn't going to stop it I still had to try.

His eyes didn't soften in the slightest. "Why are you apologizing for?"

I slapped his hand off my knee and stood up. Before I could even think about struggling I felt myself pulled back down and maneuvered onto my back. The soft sofa cushions dipped on either side of me as the older fell on top of me, his girth pressing down on me and making it difficult to breathe. "Don't!" I yelled, pushing against him, trying to dislodge his weight. He laughed at me, laughed as I tried to buck his weight off from on top of me. His mouth was suddenly on mine, his tongue forcing its way past my lips and into my mouth. My yells were muffled to almost nothing. I could hear the other two close by, laughing at me.

I wanted to bite down, every part of me that held even a shred of courage screamed at me to do it. I couldn't though; I was too afraid, too aware of how little power I had. That kid's scream ringed continuously through my mind. A constant reminder of what they could do to me.

His hands slid over me, much as Jungkooks had. I thought it might have been more terrifying with one of the others but it wasn't. The feeling of helplessness and dread was the same. God how I hated them! How I hated that any living thing could make me feel so afraid. I was tired of being afraid.

The older's hands wound through my newly cut hair, teasing it as he kissed me. I could feel his hardness pressed up against my leg, digging into me. His hands wound downwards and caught hold of my trousers. I managed a screamed protest before the sound of the door being violently hammered broke through my consciousness. The older tensed on top of me. A woman called out from outside the door and he sprang off me so quickly that I was knocked to the floor. I was up almost as quickly and retreated back from them.

The door burst open and one of them stepped in. She was a young-looking female, blonde-haired, and green-eyed with skin as white as milk. Her gaze flickered briefly past me before settling on the older.

"Where were you Taemin? I've been waiting for hours." She asked, her accent proclaiming her Japanese descent as clearly as her white hair.

The older shrugged and pointed at me. "I was sidestepped, Momo. Have a good look and you'll see why." She was in front of me before I could blink, staring up at me quizzically as her hand hovered above my face. "Exquisite isn't he?" Taemin asked brightly.

"Yes, and likely more trouble than he's worth. He has Jungkook's smell all over him. You should be wary Taemin. Jungkook isn't one to share his property." She looked me in the eye for the first time. "Shoo," she said, gesturing me towards the door. When I didn't move she gave me a hard look and a rough shove, "Get on with you, shoo!"

So I shooed like I had a rocket up my ass and bolted from the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that darkness of night precedes dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here.”

They had a huge clock in the central hall that announced the arrival of daybreak and nightfall by chiming out a dull tune, alerting everyone where they had to be or go. It rang out as I sat huddled in my small corner. I looked at my watch. It was a little past 7 am. Jungkook said I had to go back to him first thing in the morning. I kept staring dully at my chest and didn't move. I felt broken and used and violated. I wanted to take another shower but this time I wanted the water to scold the flesh off my bones.

I don't know how long I sat there before I felt one of them bearing down on me. I couldn't have explained the sensation of having so much raw power directed solely at me. It was, to say the least intense. I managed to utter a tiny whimper before a pale hand gripped my arm and pulled me up. Jungkook growled deep in his throat and caught my chin in his manacle like hold. "Where were you?" He demanded, his eyes red and teary. Clearly he wasn't used to being up so early.

"I-" was all I managed to stutter out before he let go of my chin and grabbed the back of my collar. He pulled back to his room, nearly lifting me off the floor as I struggled to keep up with him. When we were inside he let go of me more gently than I would have expected. I scuttled backward, instinctively pressing myself into the same spot I'd occupied the night before. My bag was still there. I picked it up and hugged it against my chest as I slowly slid down the wall into a sitting position. I buried my face into the bag and tried to stop the shaking.

I heard a weary sigh and then the room went as dark a tomb.

  
  
  
  


I heard her scream, and it wasn't the normal playful squeaks she normally let lose during one of their sessions. It was an actual, gut retching, agonized scream that pierced my own self induced denial and brought me spinning painfully back to reality. Not a second later Jungkook burst into the main parlor with blood pouring down his chin and neck. Even as I watched it dripped down his silk cream shirt, staining the light material a deep crimson red. His wolfish eyes settled on me and I heard him growl deep in his throat. He took two steps towards me and the spell was broken. I threw my hands up over my head, the reflective action giving me absolutely no comfort at all as I felt his huge presence loom over me. A cold marble hand ran through my hair, tugging lightly threw the tangles. I could smell her blood on him; the metallic tang was everywhere, clogging my nose, drowning out all of my other senses.

"You should get out." He said, his voice tight to the point of breaking.

He didn't have to tell me twice and even though it worried me to step outside his room I knew that staying inside would only lead to one thing. I got up slowly and edged my way carefully around him. He kept me in his sights the whole time, staring at me as if daring me to run. I tried not to let into my fear, it would only entice him.

When I closed the door behind me I had absolutely no allusions of safety. I had nowhere to go but the main hall. The prospect of going back there made me almost want to start clawing at Jungkook's door. If the smell of blood and the vivid memory of Jungkook's feral eyes wasn't so fresh I might have given in to my cravings. As it was I made my way slowly to the main hall, dragging my feet the entire time. I wondered if I could just stay out in the hallways but it was a fleeting whimsy. If one of the others caught me loitering alone they would either take me back to Jungkook or do something else with me that didn't really bear thinking about.

A few of the gang members looked at me when I stepped into the main hall but I was thankful none of them tried to approach me. I wedged myself into a grotty corner and tried to make time speed up but it didn't take long for someone to waylay me and fuck me if it wasn't the one gang member I least wanted to see. He had his chin held high as he sauntered towards me, that same cocky grin bright on his face. His two lackeys were trailing a little way behind him but they stopped a good ten feet from where I was sitting and eyed me maliciously. I stood up cautiously as he approached and I wasn't really surprised that he only stopped when we were practically nose to nose. There was nowhere for me to go, with the wall at my back and him at my front I was thoroughly boxed in.

"Jimin, darling," he said with that soft accents of his. "You've been keeping yourself hidden away for a while too long. Tell me, where have you been?"

"I haven't been hiding," I said neutrally. I guess living day and night with Jungkook had made me pretty good at masking my fear. I looked pointedly back at the older man. "Can I get past?"

"May I get past?" He said stonily.

"Excuse me?"

"May I get past? Not can I. Remember your manner's."

I very nearly started laughing then. I'm not really sure why. I mean there wasn't anything funny about the whole big mess that was my life. It was just that it all suddenly seemed so stupidly absurd. "May I get past?" I asked icily.

He kept me pinned there a while longer but eventually he backed away slightly. He only gave me a very small amount of room to manoeuver past him so I had to flatten myself up against the wall and edge around him. He stared at me the whole time, smirking slightly when I accidentally brushed his shoulder and flinched.

I was nearly past him when he reached out and snagged the back of my neck. The gang members were watching us now. Some of them started jeering when he grabbed me. From what I could see almost all of them were laughing. I shouldn't have been surprised but it shocked me suddenly that the people that surrounded me were in essence the same as me. We were all mortal, we were all human yet there was something inside these people that made them lust for death and violence. Where it horrified me it only seemed to entice them.

He started dragging me, pulling me back towards his room! I dug my heels in and started to fight him then. True I was useless at it but I had to at least try to stop him. I twisted in his grip but he was faster than me. He snagged my arm and pulled it painfully behind my back. I didn't care. Not going back to his room was paramount!

He was laughing at me, I was fighting with everything I had and he was laughing at me! He hoisted me up suddenly and threw me over his shoulder. I kicked and screamed and punched at the bastard and although I'm sure I must have hurt him he refused to let me go. He was performing for the crowd now, showing them how strong me was, how much he deserved to become one of the others.

I didn't stop fighting him, even when he opened his bedroom door and pulled me inside. He let go of me suddenly and I hit the floor like a rock. As my teeth rattled in my head he took the opportunity to kick me in the gut. The pain quickly doused the fire burning inside of me but when he bent down towards me it flared back up and I punched him hard in the face. I heard the bones in my knuckles crunch. I was sure at least some of them were broken. He staggered away from me, his lip already red and puffy.

"You're a fuckin Idiot! You know that?" he snapped as he prodded his face. "I wouldn't have hurt you, not bad anyway. But you just had to make a fuss didn't you?" he reached down and grabbed my hair. "You raise your fucking hand to me again you stupid little fuckwit and I swear to Christ I'll rip it off!"

He backhanded me and I crumpled. His hands were on me then, rough and intrusive as he rolled me onto my back and started tugging at my jeans. He leaned over me and I instinctively shied away. His bulk kept me effectively pinned and I was too freaked to try and fight him again. When he ripped my shirt off and pulled off my trousers I just went numb with terror. He was calling me all sorts of derogatory names. I tried to block him out but I couldn't ignore his clawing hands or his hot breath on the back on my neck.

It took me a moment to realize that someone was yelling my name. It seemed my aggressor was too intent in what he was doing to notice. It could only be one person and despite myself, I was reluctant to call out to him.

The choice was taken from me in the end. The door burst open and Jungkook swept down on both of us. He grabbed Jonnie and threw him off me. His eyes passed over me for a moment and then he was advancing on my abductor.

"Now calm down Jungkook," He said, raising both of his hands and retreating backward. "I wasn't going to hurt him, I was just-"

"I know what you were just going to do scum!" He roared, causing both of us to flinch. "I should rip your head clean off your pathetic excuse of a meat sack! I swear if you ever come near him again it's going to take a lot more than Momo to save you. Being potentially turned does not make us equals!" He was in front of me so quickly that I barely managed a squeak. "You, come with me."

He seemed so angry with me. I struggled to keep up with him as he swept down the gang quarters, dragging me behind him. A number of the others looked up at us as Jungkook rushed us through the main hall. I noticed a young gang member staring and as our eyes met she let out an audible gasp. I just stopped moving, staring at her in disbelief as she took a faltering step towards me. It only took a second before Jungkook's momentum knocked me flat. He dragged me for a few seconds more before he realized I'd fallen. I barely noticed when his arm wrapped around my waist and he tucked me under his armpit. I was staring unbelievingly at the young gang member. Her mouth worked silently.

"Jimin?"

  
  
  
  


I thought back to that first sunset when she didn't show up. Mom and I were peering through the parlor windows, anxiously awaiting the sound of her key in the door lock. We waited there all night, both of us praying she would come home safe.

A week later and I was still at the window, afraid to leave my vigil, frightened she might be crawling injured towards our home in need of my help. Mom had already fallen into the mad pit of depression that had eventually claimed her life. At a time when I had needed my big sister the most, she had disappeared on us.

I had assumed she was dead but now I knew the truth, she had just grown bored with us and thrown her lot in with the gang members. Suddenly, chocking fury rushed through me. How could she do that to us, how could she leave us alone when she knew how bad mom was getting? All those years I'd struggled just to survive and she was frolicking with the bastards that had helped make my life so fucking miserable!

"What's your problem?" Jungkook asked, not bothering to look at me as he sat watching the T.V. I saw his pale wrist rise above the couch as he casually changed the channel.

"Nothing," I said, struggling to control my flaring temper. "It's nothing."

"Really because all the time you've been down here I haven't sensed even a hint of a temper. Truth is I'm surprised you've got one. I assumed single living had beaten it out of you. So what's happened to tick you off? You thinking of that bastard?"

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that darkness of night precedes dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here.”

"No," I said evasively, a little freaked that he could so easily read my emotions. "How do you know what I'm feeling?" I asked softly. The few days that had passed since he had collected me from the Taemin’s room had wrought a subtle change in our relationship. Jungkook stopped doing everything in his power to frighten me and started to encourage conversation. It was one hell of a relief for me. I hadn't realized just how highly I strung I was until I started to relax. Not that I was totally stress-free, I wasn't a complete idiot after all. For the love of good, I was living with a monster!

"It's a neat trick huh," Jungkook said casually, his face still averted as he watched his T.V. "So you going to tell me or what?"

"It's private."

He rose up on his elbows and turned to look at me. His eyebrow arched slightly as our eyes met.

"I'm just thinking, it's nothing specific." I paused for a moment and then decided what the hell. "Can I go out for a while?"

"You want to go out on your own? After what happened last time?"

"Is that a problem?" I asked hesitantly.

"Not really. I'm just surprised is all."

"So it's okay?"

He shrugged and gestured towards the door with the remote. I took the hint and slipped outside, closing the door quietly behind me. I moved quickly through the hallway leading to the main hall, stepping out without too much hesitation. My roaming gaze immediately aligned on Taemin, who was leaning casually against a wall with his usual lackeys circling him. Our eyes met and he started towards me but suddenly he seemed to think better of it and step back. He made a shooting gesture towards me with his hand and then said something to his group that had them all looking back at me and laughing.

Clearly he had taken Jungkook's warning to heart. Personally I couldn't have cared less that they were reduced to pointing and laughing at me as an alternative to attacking me. In comparison, it wasn't exactly heartly chilling. Still, seeing the malignant expression on his face was enough to make me drop my gaze. I wondered if Jungkook's threat would linger for long or if the other man would try something else. Clearly someone was protecting him.

I moved a little further into the hall, keeping close to the edges in an attempt to avoid any further trouble. I looked around for a while and eventually picked out a young boy on his own. He had a mildly distant look on his pretty heart-shaped face but outwardly he didn't seem terribly threatening. I made my way towards him and let out a tiny cough to gain his attention. He turned slowly towards me, his doe brown eyes wide and bright with some sort of drug he’d probably taken earlier. "Yes?" He asked, smiling softly.

"I'm looking for someone." I blurted out. "A woman named Jeongyeon. She's about your age and has the same color hair like me. Do you know her?"

"Jeongyeon?" He made a soft humming sound and began tracing the line of my jaw with his finger. I could tell there was nothing behind it, he was just that spaced out! I'd run into other singles who occasionally retreated into a world of make-believe in order to escape reality. In my experience, they rarely lasted very long.

"You're wasting your time with him." A sharp voice said at my back. Another boy, probably the same age as me and thankfully cleared eyed stepped towards me. "So why are you looking for Jeongyeon?" He looked me up and down with a critical eye. "You don't exactly strike me as her type."

I returned his frank appraisal, studying him as he studied me. He had traces of purple-colored hair on his growing brunette hair and lines that seem to form into a boxed smile. He’s quite beautiful for a man. "Do you know where she is?" I asked.

"Yes, but why do you want to know?"

I reined in my impatience with some effort. "Because I need to talk to her and it's private."

He laughed at that. "You belong to Jungkook don't you?"

"I don't belong to anyone," I said testily. "Are you able to take me to her or not?"

"Okay," he said, surprising me with his sudden willingness. "Follow me then. My name is Taehyung by the way. Should Jungkook come after you later please stop him from tearing my head off won't you? I heard about what he did to Taemin."

He started forward, pressing through the crowds and coming chillingly close to Taemin. The older man looked up at us and I quickly dropped my gaze. "You couldn't have gone around him?" I mumbled.

"I could have but then I wouldn't have been able to piss him off by doing this." He stepped close beside me and lifted my arm until it draped over his shoulder. He was a little taller than me but fit surprisingly well into my side. I didn't look at Taemin to see what he was doing.

"Why would you want to piss him off?" I whispered. "Isn't he supposed to be turned soon?"

He smiled up at me, which transformed his face and made him look goofy. "One of them or one of us. It won't make a difference. He'll still be a twat and he'll still be dangerous!" He let out a tuneless whistle for a few seconds. "So, how do you know Jeongyeon again?" He asked sweetly.

Despite myself, I chuckled. "I appreciate you helping me but I'm not telling you."

He nodded his head acceptingly for a moment. "You related?" he suddenly asked. I stumbled and he had to grab my waist to stop me from falling over. "I'll take that as a yes. You look a lot alike. Same hair and skin color, different eyes though."

"Do you know her very well?" I asked.

"As well as anyone knows her I suppose. She's a quiet one though, and dangerous too. I'd be careful if I was you. Taemin isn't the only one favored to be turned."

"What?" I asked, feeling like someone had thumped me in the stomach. "Jeongyeon's to be turned? In to one of them?"

He shrugged casually. "So I hear, but it could be nothing more than rumors." He squeezed my waist in mock affection. "You sure you still want to go?"

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see her, not knowing what she had become, but I felt like I had to. She was my sister and had been one of the only constant people in my life. I needed to know what had happened to her. Knowing that she was so close but not being able to speak to her was eating away at me.

"Here we are," he said brightly as she stopped in front of a solid red door. I noticed the scriptures that had been carved into the wood, but before I could look at them more closely Taehyung had wrapped neatly on the door and stepped nimbly back. I didn't even have time to compose myself before the door swung open and Jeongyeon was standing there looking furiously back at me. "Look what I've bought you, my dear," Taehyung said, her smile dazzling as she shoved me forward. "You can thank me later." She laughed, walking away and leaving me standing there wondering if I had just made a very stupid mistake.

I opened my mouth but now that she was standing there looking at me I couldn't think of a single thing to say to her. I stepped backward, unsure if I should just turn around and run when she caught my arm and yanked me inside her room. "You stupid little git!" She hissed as she spun me around and shoved me backward. "What the hell are you doing here?" I backed away from her, distracted by the young man that was staring at me from the corner of the room. He smiled brightly and waved at me. "Well, answer me damn it!"

She looked so healthy, sleek, and strong. She was taller than me and lithely muscled with shining black hair and bright blue eyes. I noticed the faint lines around her lips and eyes and I wondered if they were the only reminder of the hardship of her earlier life. I thought of myself, wasting away to almost nothing and not growing to my full height because of malnutrition. I thought of my mom, shrinking and growing weaker before my eyes. Something in me snapped and before I knew what I was doing I lashed out and slapped her hard across the face. Her face whipped to the side and she let out a loud snarl. "I suppose I deserved that," She said stiffly as she rubbed her reddened cheek. I felt a moment of remorse but it was short-lived as she reached out and snared my wrist. She pulled me close. "Don't do it again." She said very quietly as we stood practically face to face.

"You left us," I managed to choke out. I could feel tears of anger and frustration and I fought to hold them back. "We thought you were dead, we mourned you for Christ's sake! How could you just abandon us? You knew how mom was; you knew how hard it would be for me."

She sighed softly and let go of my wrist. "Things were getting too complicated Jimin. I was just a kid myself and honestly-" her bright eyes appraised me thoughtfully. "I was so much stronger than you. Even if I had wanted you to come with me you never would have left mom, and if you had I'm sure you'd be dead now. I did what I had to."

"Is that it?" I practically screeched. "That pile of bullshit is your excuse for abandoning us?" I pulled back my fist, fighting the urge to hit her again. "Do you even care what I've been through? What I'm going through now? How long have you known I was here and you did nothing to help me?"

She pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear and bit her bottom lip, reminding me suddenly of the little girl I had grown up with. An image of us as children came unbidden to my mind and with it a release of the anger I could feel welling up inside of me. What did I expect really, that she had some grand explanation for leaving us? She was a gang member after all. Expecting anything from her was just stupidity.

"I don't know what you want me to say." She said eventually, looking sadly back at me. I wondered if she actually felt sad or if she was just trying to convey what she assumed was the appropriate response. I suspected it was the latter.

"You've said enough," I said flatly, refusing to look at her. "Bye Jeongyeon." I turned my back on her and opened her door. She didn't try to stop me and as I stepped out into the damp, squalled hallway and made my way back to Jungkook. No one bothered me as I stepped into the main hall and found my way back to him.

"You weren't gone long," He remarked as I stepped inside and fell down beside him on the couch. His eyebrows rose slightly but he didn't comment on our closeness. "You okay?" He asked, sounding like he actually cared.

I realized I was fidgeting and forced myself to stop. "Couldn't be better," I said flatly.

I thought he was making fun of me as he started fidgeting, it took me a moment to realize that he was actually nervous. "You're afraid of me?" He said as if it was an accusation.

"Yeah," I said, turning around to look him in the eyes. "I thought that was what you wanted. For me to be afraid of you."

"What can I say," He said, moving a little closer to me. "Things have changed." And then he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, pressing his body into me. And Jesus only knew why but I started kissing him back.


End file.
